Sushi Park

RIP Sushi Park!
I’m saddened to hear of the news of this place perishing. Hope everyone recovers, such sad sad news. This was my favorite restaurant in NYC… Goodbye

Oh gosh this place is huge, but they have the smallest bathroom stalls in the world. I never knew you could fit a portable inside a New York City restaurant, but when you sit down on the toilet and your knees touch the door, you start wondering how you are going to get out.
Nothing wrong with the food here though, but it is so average that it is nothing to write home about or Unilocal about. The food won’t kill you but it isn’t going to give you an orgasm either.
So if you want some sushi, tempura, and teriyaki for relatively affordable and talk to some very interesting people in the table right next to you, then walk to St Marks and dine here.

Your degree of enjoyment at Sushi Park will really depend on what you’re looking forward to more, cheap sushi or good sushi. I think this falls closer to the former in terms of what’s well executed.
I’m not exactly sure what the whole «50% off» thing is all about, but it does make for some of the least expensive sushi around, let alone in the East Village. The offerings are relatively extensive and you’ll find that even if you’re a sushi beginner, there will be something enjoyable on the menu. Of course, there’s also hot Japanese dishes if you’re not even in the mood for sushi, but that’s what we went for.
Sushi Park is sort of a big cafeteria-​esque experience and we were seated at a table for two directly next to another table for two (with people already at it), so there’s very little here in the way of ambience, coziness, etc., but that’s not necessarily a detractor from the whole experience. Meanwhile, the food itself is really very OK. We ordered some sort of big sushi combo along with two of their more exotic looking rolls, and that was more than enough for two people. The sushi is well-​prepared as far as I could tell, but it’s not nearly the best I’ve ever had.
Then again, with prices this low, what could you expect? For two people, the entire bill was something like $ 45, and we ordered drinks and A LOT of food, so that’s a nice recession-​chic way of having your sushi fix. It was very crowded when we went on a Friday night, but what could you expect? The sushi restaurant proliferation in the East Village means there is a lot of choice in terms of where to go when you’re in the neighborhood, but this is a reliable choice and pretty good at that.

I used to go there a lot since there was 50% off sushi. The last time I went there, it was horrible. They reuse leftovers from other peoples leftovers. Disgusting! My friend ordered the Salad and the top looked freshly coated with giant pieces of lettuce and sauce. However, some people mix the salad around to spread the sauce around, but not my friend. She eats it piece by piece only to find the bottom have came from a previous customer. The bottom had salad which was soaked in sauce and the lettuce wasn’t green and crisp. I honestly, swear to god, the first time I looked at it, I told her «why did you play with your salad?» and she replied «It was like that on the bottom.»
The same night, we found our Tuna sushi roll mixed with some kind of other fish, white color looking. This place is truly disgusting. They reuse leftover by customers so they can save themselves some money. Next time you don’t finish it, ruin it. They will most likely reuse it.

I’m giving this place an extra star because it was one of the first places I was taken to in NYC and a place reminiscent of tiny, tiny salaries and underdeveloped taste palates (also lots of drunken, laughter-​filled nights.)
Well, fast forward two years later, minus one «tiny» from the «tiny, tiny» salary and a whirlwind of restaurants later, this once-​super fun go-​to joint has slid down, wayyyy down my list.
They used to have a leg up on the other all-​day ½ off sushi places because their Tek Don bowls were half off as well (usually all tuna sashimi over rice but this place had SALMON sashimi over rice). However, they narrowed down their menu options in lieu of shinier menus and trust in a loyal clientele. Maybe not so wise.
The service hasn’t gotten better and the food worse. It’s still a fun place to gather and sake bomb but I definitely wouldn’t be caught introducing any new friends here any time soon. Any time soon… As in never.

Come here if you want cheap, decent sushi! The sushi/​sashimi is always 50% off so your meal always ends up being less than $ 15. Not the freshest sushi but it’s still not bad. I agree that since it changed from Sushi Park to May Sushi, the ambiance has changed. But I still come back here again and again.

I recently went there again and wth. Ownership changed. Menu changed too. And green tea is no longer green.
Service got worse. Food got worse. It’s no longer crowded like it used to be. I really was embarrassed to take my friend there.

OK, I thought I was the only one who didn’t like this place but judging from the 2.5 stars I guess my taste buds weren’t off.
Sushi Park was the first place my friends and I ate at during our quick trip to NYC. We were lured in by the cute lanterns hung outside and noticed that the place was quite empty. Not wanting to be rude, we sat down and ordered ice water and began scanning the menu for some good eats. There were pictures on the menu and we were tricked into thinking that their sushi was going to be really good.
I was disappointed by the portions of their rolls. They are super tiny, bite-​sized pieces that didn’t taste fresh. I soaked my rolls in soy sauce because the rolls were really, really bland for some reason.
Oh well, you live and learn right?

The East Village is full of cash strapped hipsters and scene kids, or in my case, a barfly that can’t resist getting a round of shots or bottle service. In the land of Delavega, there are plenty of 50% off sushi joints and $ 19.95 all you can eat sushi places to meet the needs of the economy minded gourmand. Lamenting another expensive weekend, we chose this place for a cheap Sunday dinner.
To be honest, for the mere pittance of an Andrew Jackson a head, you’d be hard pressed to find a better deal in the city. We ordered a smörgåsbord of sushi and beer and left completely stuffed for just under $ 20 a head.
Granted, the food was just OK — pay for what you get I guess. The miso soup was generous with the seaweed and tofu, but the miso broth severely watered down. For $ 1, you can get 6 pieces of dried out «gyoza», which were actually fried mandoo. A forgivable mistake, but a little bit mis-​leading nonetheless. At about $ 20 (plus 50% off) the sashimi combo was a real winner. The sashimi was actually pretty decent, clean tasting, and decidedly food poisoning free. Also, at $ 1.50, the spam musubi was my favorite dish of the night. However, the spicy tuna rolls were dinky, under flavored and totally forgettable.
Next weekend I pledge to take it easy on the partying so I can afford to treat myself to a better Sunday dinner.

Dear Sushi Park,
My husband brought me here, so that I — a naïve (and native) west-​coaster, could determine whether or not east coast fish and I got along.
T_​T. (…those are tears).
I swear to god… it was the worst sushi of my life. I was actually offended by how mediocre and bottom of the barrel everything tasted.
YOUR SUSHI IS INHUMANE!!! *AAAH!* I even have deep felt barfy feelings when I realize that establishments of your caliber continue to exist on a daily basis.
…its low rating on Unilocal has renewed my faith in maybe finding a decent sushi place when I’m in town.
ihateyou.ihateyou.ihateyou.
Sincerely,
Me.

This used to be my favorite little sushi place. I’d been going here for about 7 years to get cheap, fresh, basic sushi. It never was the best for fancy rolls but when I wanted some delicious tuna, california, philadelphia rolls etc for under $ 10, this was the place to go.
I had been out of New York for a long time and when I returned to Sushi Park this week for the first time in about a year, everything was completely different. The waitresses are dressed in ridiculous (read: degrading) school girl outfits, the menu makes the place look like the Applebee’s or TGI Friday’s of sushi, and the food was TERRIBLE. The prices have gone up, the maki combos no longer come with soup AND salad (choose one), and they don’t have plum wine (wtf?!). The sushi was warm, or room temperature at best, and did not taste fresh. It was truly disgusting and I was so disappointed.
Needless to say, I will not be returning.

I find it strange — they seem to get such good business, but the food, at least my dish, was so below par. The pictures on the menu looked appetizing, but when I got my Tuna, Y.T. & Salmon combo with salad on the side, the seaweed was stale, the rice was stale, not sweet at all, and the fish meat in it was a little stale. Sadly enough I did not even get to finish my makis because it was such a disappointing dish; and I usually always finish all my rolls on my dish. Plus, my friend’s raw squid was not fresh at all: «It turned into goo once you started chewing it.» EWies !!
Verdict :drumrolls: THIS PLACE SUCKS!
Whatever, you do, just don’t get the rolls.

We came here once when they were doing their «half price anniversary» special.
No problems with freshness, and didn’t have to wait too long for seats, however we were only a party of 2. We were served quickly and efficiently. The seating is cramped, but this is a Japanese restaurant so not too surprising.
The food is not bad. Not Nobu, but not exactly a «take-​out» sushi joint neither.

Not bad. So many people seem to think the quality is bad, but I ate here for dinner on a Monday night and had no problems with food quality. My companion and I shared the May platter with Chicken Teryaki. I’m allergic to shellfish, so i could only eat certain things. M companion had the Korean barbecue beef over rice. So much food and the bill was about 15 dollars per person. No complaints.

— used to be my «go to» place for sushi (had been for years) and no it wasn’t for the half priced sushi
— loved the family run atmosphere
— love love loved the little old non-​English speaking Korean woman owner who ALWAYS greeted me as well as my family, dates, and friends with hugs and free green tea/​dessert/​or miso soup (because she was convinced that my nana was some sort of old time Japanese movie star *mind you my nana is Chinese)
— sadly, the past 6 months or so, the restaurant not only has undergone new management or possibly ownership, but its completely changed
— the menu is different, the name of the place has changed, prices have gone up, the staff are all strangers, AND MY LITTLE OLD LADY IS GONE!!!
— I won’t be returning

What is it with these 50% off sushi places? I guess it proves how stoopid the mass majority of diners are out there. Ooooh!!! Half off sushi! Half off what you idiots?! Half off $ 3 or $ 4 for a piece of red snapper that comes out dry? Big bloody deal! This is like when you price things at $ 19.95 because people will say: «Oh. It is under $ 20. I can deal with that.» Hey stupid. It’s the same as $ 20. So who cares.
So what do you expect? It’s another of the 500 sushi joints in the city and it’s really no different. Everything here is basically mediocre at best. Rolls were uninspiring. I am curious as to why the rice on the spicy tuna roll was so thin? I could count the grains laying on top of the seaweed.
A place to eat for cheap and get full at best.

I used to love this place. I had been here five or six times in the last few years, and everything had always been pretty decent. The sushi was never mindblowing, but it was fresh, the rice was proper (my pet peeve with so much available sushi), and the service was prompt. However, a few months ago, I decided to grab some dinner there while waiting to meet a friend, and I had a really bad experience.
Here’s how it went down: As I entered the restaurant, there was a couple dining at a two-​top. The remainder of the restaurant was entirely vacant. After the waitress said, with something of an attitude, «just one?» I was seated at a two-​top RIGHT next to the couple. Our tables were inches apart. It was awkwardly, unnecessarily close. I-​could-​lift-​up-​my elbow-​and-​put-​it on-​their-​table close. It was really bewildering; it would have been fine had it been the last available table, but there was literally no one else there. The odd tone already set for my dinner, I ordered what I usually order there; vegetable udon soup, two pieces of tuna sushi, and two ebi sushi, a la carte, all to be brought at the same time.
My udon arrived promptly, and it was as fine as always, but my sushi never arrived. Meanwhile, the male half of the couple next to me (since we were within rather intimate earshot of one another) was expressing surprise at the quality of the sushi, saying it had that dreaded fishy smell. While that put a damper on my hopes for my own, they were eating it and didn’t seem to be suffering any immediately dire consequences.
After finishing my udon, a sushi block was plopped down in front of me by another waiter. Unfortunately, it offered a tuna roll and a shrimp roll of some kind, not the a la carte sushi pieces I ordered. I sent it back, and asked them not to re-​order for what I had actually asked for, since I had already been there for half an hour, finished my soup, and needed to get going– I didn’t have time to wait for them to get my order straight.
After a few minutes, my waitress came back to my table for the first time since taking my order. Holding my ticket in her hand, she said she couldn’t take back the order she put in for my sushi. «But you got my order wrong,» I said, «and now I have to leave.» She said she couldn’t take it out of the system or she would have to pay for it out of her salary. «I’m sorry that is the policy here,» I said, «but they sent out my order wrong, that is not my fault, and I just want to go.»
After a few awkward, dragging minutes of this charming exchange, during which the waitress actually plaintively whined «but don’t you WANT SUSHI?,» I eventually succumbed to the pressure of the attention of the two other diners, still mere inches away from me, and the stares of the rest of the waitstaff, who were all inching a little closer to me, and told her to just bring it out. My surprise dining companion was right– the sushi was disturbingly on the verge of unfresh.
I eventually just choked it down, angrily signed my check, and left. It is one of two times in my adult life that I haven’t left my server a tip. I usually give 20% for even average service; I have waitressing experience, a lot of my friends work tables, I know what a rough job it can be, and guilt factors heavily in my life. This unprofessional behavior, coupled with the serious decline in the quality of the food, has lead me to seek greener pastures. I can’t see myself ever returning.

Can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve been here but each time the service and the food has been consistent… consistently good!
I absolutely love the Boston roll and the Philly roll (salmon and cream cheese). The half-​off sushi special seemed a little sketchy to me at first, (it only applies is you order over $ 14 worth of food and they don’t do take-​out for it) but after eating there on many occasions, I know for sure that the food is very fresh.
I will say that sometimes the staff can be very brusque and hasty but the sushi makes up for it.
P. S.-
Nothing beats wrapping up a meal here with a little fried green tea ice cream… mmm.

This used to be one of my favorite places for sushi (mostly because of the price) but I think it has come under new management because the prices are up and the menu has changed.
The deal with this place is that if you order sushi or sashimi that totals to $ 15 dollars or more, you pay half price. (Keep in mind this is per person). So, you can typically get anywhere from 2 to 4 rolls, depending on what you order for about $ 8. My favorite is the shrimp tempura roll. They also used to have this amazing fried ice cream here, but I’m not sure if it’s still on the menu. Anyway, despite the new management, it’s definitely worth checking out if you want some cheapish food.

This place is the worst sushi place I have ever been too. The sushi was so poorly made — the rice was all over the place, the spicy tuna I had made sick and the rest of the meat was pretty much warm! My father makes better sushi than this place.
You are better off at a sushi buffet — I highly recommend Minado of Long Island.
Like Jenny N mentioned, me and my girlfriend was lured into this place by the so called 50% deal; heard from her friends who said this place was great too. (I am never trusting her friends for food again)
Well, we went to Sushi Park of Manhattan (they have two locations) and was promptly sat with good service maybe because we were the only one there besides a 3 family eating non sushi platters. (We went around lunch time on a weekday around 1pm)
Well, first of all even with the 50% off, it’s just barely a good deal. Without the 50% off, you might as well hand over your shirt and pants to them.
I ordered a Sashimi/​Sushi combo that was 30 dollars (15 half price) and received 3 tuna/​3 flounder/​3 salmon pieces along with 3 single tuna/​3 flounder/​3salmon (no rice) + one octopus tentacle that was so hard to chew I gave up on it. The sushi part — 6 pieces of salmon/​rolled with seaweed and rice (no cucumber/​avocado)
So 15 dollars for 25 pieces. The fish was mildy warm and not fresh.
We also ordered a Spicy Tuna dish worth 18 dollars (9 after 50% off)
and received 12 horribly made Spicy Tuna pieces. I mean the rice was practically everywhere! The tuna was mushy and definitely not fresh.
After I ate the Spicy Tuna, my stomach didn’t feel good. The proceeding night I would have to use the bathroom for 3 times — in pain.
Maybe I should have went to the hospital and then sued. I even saved a piece and my credit card receipt just in case. You should do that too.
STAY AWAY LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!
***Update 9/1/07*****Just discovered they RENAMED the restaurant to MAY’s Sushi. Will it change their sushi? I don’t think so.